Faunal Exploitation and Socio-Economic Dynamics at Pachkhed: Archaeozoological Insights Across Cultural Phases

V. Duova Duo1*, Prabash Sahu2 and Pankaj Goyal1

This paper presents a comprehensive archaeozoological analysis of the faunal remains from Pachkhed, a multicultural site located in Maharashtra, India. Excavations conducted over two seasons (2023-24 and 2024-25) have revealed five distinct cultural phases, transitioning from the Early Iron Age to the Nizam period. Faunal assemblages elucidate the evolution of human-animal interactions and resource management strategies in the Vidarbha region, amid lime kilns and agro-pastoralism features. This study synthesises archaeozoological data from multiple trenches to assess animal use in domestic and subsistence contexts, addressing gaps in the Vidarbha region. Standardised archaeozoological techniques were employed, emphasising qualitative taxonomic identification, taphonomic analysis (fragmentation, charred, depositional changes), and butchery patterning, while documenting bone tools and worked bone specimens alongside cut-marked elements. Mammalian remains were integrated with diverse non-mammalian taxa (e.g., fish, birds), revealing broad-spectrum exploitation of regional ecosystems. The inclusion of wild taxa in the assemblage further suggests that hunting retained significant social dimensions despite the intensification of the agropastoral economy. By analysing pre- and post-depositional modifications, this research reconstructs the taphonomic and human-induced processes that shaped the site formation. Comparison across cultural phases reveals continuity in subsistence practices alongside adaptive shifts in animal resource management within changing socio-political contexts, from Iron Age agrarian lifeways to later historic occupations. In contrast to predominantly funerary faunal records known from Vidarbha’s megalithic sites, Pachkhed provides rare habitation-based evidence, significantly enriching our understanding of everyday human–animal relationships in Vidarbha region through to the Nizam period.